Disruptor assembly adjustment system and method

ABSTRACT

A disruptor adjustment system comprising: a disruptor assembly configured to disrupt a volume of smelt flowing from a smelt spout into a dissolving tank, wherein the disruptor assembly comprises an actuator operatively engaged to a disruptor, a sensor configured to record process data from the recovery boiler; and a control system configured to receive a sensor output signal from the sensor, wherein the sensor output signal indicates the process data at a measured time, wherein the control system is further configured to compare the sensor output signal to a programmed operation range, and to send a disruptor input signal to the disruptor assembly to adjust a disruptor operating condition if the process data of the sensor output signal is outside of the programmed operation range. In certain exemplary embodiments, the sensor is an image capture device. In certain exemplary embodiments, the disruptor assembly can be adjusted remotely.

CROSS-RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/953,843 filed on Nov. 20, 2020, which application claims the benefitunder 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of the earlier filing date of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/951,481 filed on Dec. 20, 2019, the entirecontents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to chemical pulping andparticularly to recovery boilers and dissolving tanks used in the pulpand paper industry.

Related Art

In the chemical pulping industry, mill operators treat lignocellulosicmaterial with either strong acids or strong bases to disassociate thelignin from the cellulosic fibers. Operators may then separate, wash,and further process the cellulosic fibers into pulp or other pulp-basedproducts. Chemical process examples include: the Kraft process (alsoknown as the “sulfate process”), the sulfite process, the soda pulpingprocess, and the sulfite semi-chemical pulping process.

While the processing chemicals for each type of chemical process mayvary, mill operators frequently recover and recycle these processchemicals to operate the mill economically. Many chemical pulp mills usepyrolytic chemical recovery systems to recycle at least a portion of thecooking chemicals

In a typical chemical recovery process, operators heat and injectconcentrated spent cooking chemicals, known generically as “blackliquor,” into a chemical recovery boiler. The recovery boiler evaporatesthe remaining water from the black liquor and solid compounds in theblack liquor undergo partial pyrolysis. The remaining inorganiccompounds fall to the bottom of the recovery boiler and then exit asmolten liquid smelt.

This smelt exits through one or more smelt spouts at the bottom of therecovery boiler. As the smelt contacts green liquor in a dissolvingtank, the smelt explodes and emits a series of audible sounds. This isgenerally known as “banging” by those in the industry. The smelt flowingfrom the spout is typically between 750 degrees Celsius (“° C.”) to 820°C., while the average temperature of the green liquor is about 70° C. to100° C.

To manage smelt dissolution, avoid excessive noise, and mitigate thepossibility of catastrophic explosions, conventional dissolving tanksgenerally use disruptors to disrupt the smelt as the smelt falls fromthe spout into the dissolving tank. Disruptors can be one or moreshatter jets, or other devices configured to disrupt the flow of smeltfrom the smelt spout prior to the smelt reaching the liquid level of thedissolving tank. A shatter jet blasts the falling smelt with steam orother shattering fluid at high pressure to create smelt droplets. Thesedroplets collectively have a greater surface area than an undisruptedsmelt flow. The individual droplets also have a smaller volume than anoverall undisrupted smelt flow. The increased surface area and smallervolume of reactants permit banging explosions that are generally lessintense than the explosions would be if the smelt contacted the greenliquor as a continuous, uninterrupted, undisrupted flow.

In many mills, operators commonly move in and among the processingequipment to monitor process conditions and output. The flow of smeltfrom a spout is variable. Molten smelt may periodically accumulatebehind temporary dams of inorganic material in the recovery boiler, andturbulent process conditions can occasionally send a jet of super-heatedgas from the spout opening. Even with appropriate protection, it isgenerally advisable for personnel to stand as far away from the spoutopenings as possible to avoid being proximate to the smelt spouts in anupset condition. An explosion in the dissolving tank or recovery boilerposes a serious safety risk to personnel in the immediate vicinity, andthe resulting fire poses a serious risk to personnel in the rest of themill. Such explosions also cause an unregulated amount of pollutants toenter the air and groundwater and predicate significant production loss.Explosions of this scale can inactivate a mill for weeks or months.

To accommodate variations in smelt flow, current shatter jets encourageoperators to stand physically close to shatter jets to adjust the rateof steam flow and/or the position of the shatter jets manually.Depending upon the particular boiler, proximity of equipment relative tothe shatter jets may reduce the operator's ease of access to steam flowadjustment valves. Such reduced access may encourage operators to standtoo close to the spout opening, or position themselves in such a waythat they will increase the risk of injury.

Furthermore, manual adjustment of the shatter jet can be time consumingand can quickly become out of step with the changing flowcharacteristics of the smelt. A typical recovery boiler may have aboutthree to six smelt spouts on at least one side of the recovery boiler.By way of example, one person adjusting all of the shatter jets on atypical 3 million pounds of dry solids per day (“lbds/day”) recoveryboiler may take an average of 30 minutes. During that time, the processconditions inside the recovery boiler may be in a near constant state offlux. That is, by the time the operator finishes adjusting the shatterjets in response to a process condition measurement taken at the top ofthe hour, the recovery boiler may have experienced myriad changes inprocess conditions, thereby minimizing the effects of the operator'smanual adjustments.

Previous innovations in this field have focused on reducing the risk ofsubstantial smelt explosions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,206,548,entitled, “Cooled Smelt Restrictor at Cooled Smelt Spout for DisruptingSmelt Flow from the Boiler,” the entirely of which is incorporated hereby reference, describes a single use emergency apparatus for rapidlyclosing the spout opening in the event of a smelt deluge.

U.S. Pat. No. 10,012,616, entitled, “Acoustic Emission System and Methodfor Predicting Explosions in a Dissolving Tank,” and incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety, describes a system configured to measureand evaluate banging in order to predict smelt explosions. While thesesystems have been generally effective at reducing explosions, bothsystems are reactive and generally trigger a failsafe just momentsbefore an explosion might otherwise occur. Therefore, a failure of oneof these systems at a critical moment could result in the sameexplosions that plagued conventional recovery boilers and dissolvingtanks.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/040,333, the entirely of which isincorporated herein by reference, describes an ultrasonic smeltdissolving and shattering system configured to reduce the time needed todissolve smelt in a dissolving tank.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem of exposing recovery boiler operators to safety risks as aresult of operators manually adjusting disruptors in response tochanging smelt flow characteristics and the problem of dissociated smeltflow characteristics and disruptor operating condition (e.g. disruptorposition and disrupting fluid output) is solved by a disruptoradjustment system comprising: a disruptor assembly configured to disrupta volume of smelt flowing from a smelt spout into a dissolving tank,wherein the disruptor assembly comprises an actuator operatively engagedto a disruptor, a sensor configured to record process data from therecovery boiler; and a control system configured to receive a sensoroutput signal from the sensor, wherein the sensor output signalindicates the process data at a measured time, wherein the controlsystem is further configured to compare the sensor output signal to aprogrammed operation range, and to send a disruptor input signal to thedisruptor assembly to adjust a disruptor operating condition if theprocess data of the sensor output signal is outside of the programmedoperation range.

The shatter jet nozzle adjustment mechanism would be designed to allowan electrical or pneumatic actuator to adjust the position (insertiondepth and angle) based on process data from the recovery boiler. Theprocess data may include, but is not limited to, smelt flow leaving thesmelt spout, dissolving tank operational data, and smelt spout coolingwater temperatures.

The shatter jet nozzle could also be controlled remotely based oninformation from a camera.

The exemplary systems described herein may further increase personnelsafety by eliminating the need for operating personnel to adjustmanually the flow of fluid through the shatter jets and/or the positionof the shatter jets during normal, upset, or transient conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tothe same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, with emphasis instead being placed uponillustrating the disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a side view of the bottom of arecovery boiler, a smelt spout, a dissolving tank, and a disruptorconfigured to disrupt the flow of smelt.

FIG. 2 is a close up side view of an exemplary disruptor adjustmentsystem, depicting a cross-section of the dissolving tank and hood.

FIG. 3 is a facing view of an exemplary disruptor adjustment system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram depicted a first embodiment of a controlsystem in accordance with the present disclosure for adjusting adisruptor operating condition in response to smelt flow deviations.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system that can incorporate thecontrol system for adjusting a disruptor operating condition that isdepicted in FIG. 4 , in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting a possible signal path for the sensoroutput signal.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a method for adjusting a disruptoroperating condition to mitigate variations is smelt flow position inaccordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary disruptor adjustmentsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments ispresented only for illustrative and descriptive purposes and is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope and spirit of theinvention. The embodiments were selected and described to best explainthe principles of the invention and its practical application. One ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that many variations can bemade to the invention disclosed in this specification without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. Although the drawings representembodiments of various features and components according to the presentdisclosure, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certainfeatures may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate embodiments ofthe present disclosure, and such exemplifications are not to beconstrued as limiting the scope of the present disclosure in any manner.

References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“an exemplary embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

Although specific terms are used in the following description for thesake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to theparticular structure of the embodiment selected for illustration in thedrawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of thedisclosure.

The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise. Numerical values should beunderstood to include numerical values which are the same when reducedto the same number of significant figures and numerical values whichdiffer from the stated value by less than the experimental error ofconventional measurement technique of the type described in the presentapplication to determine the value.

All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the recited endpoint andare independently combinable (for example, the range “from 2 millimetersto 10 millimeters” is inclusive of the endpoints, 2 millimeters and 10millimeters, and all intermediate values).

As used herein, approximating language may be applied to modify anyquantitative representation that may vary without resulting in a changein the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a valuemodified by a term or terms, such as “about” and “substantially,” maynot be limited to the precise values specified. The modifier “about”should also be considered as disclosing the range defined by theabsolute values of the two endpoints. For example, the expression “fromabout 2 to about 4” also discloses the range “from 2 to 4.”

It should be noted that many of the terms used herein are relativeterms. For example, the terms “upper” and “lower” are relative to eachother in location, i.e. an upper component is located at a higherelevation than a lower component in a given orientation, but these termscan change if the device is flipped. The terms “inlet’ and “outlet” arerelative to a fluid flowing through them with respect to a givenstructure, e.g. a fluid flows through the inlet into the structure andflows through the outlet out of the structure. The terms “upstream” and“downstream” are relative to the direction in which a fluid flowsthrough various components, i.e. the flow of fluids through an upstreamcomponent prior to flowing through the downstream component.

The terms “horizontal” and “vertical” are used to indicate directionrelative to an absolute reference, i.e. ground level. However, theseterms should not be construed to require structure to be absolutelyparallel or absolutely perpendicular to each other. For example, a firstvertical structure and a second vertical structure are not necessarilyparallel to each other. The terms “top” and “floor” or “base” are usedto refer to locations/surfaces where the top is always higher than thefloor/base relative to an absolute reference, i.e. the surface of theEarth. The terms “upwards” and “downwards” are also relative to anabsolute reference; an upwards flow is always against the gravity of theEarth.

The term “directly,” wherein used to refer to two system components,such as valves or pumps, or other control devices, or sensors (e.g.temperature or pressure), may be located in the path between the twonamed components.

In the chemical pulping industry, mill operators treat lignocellulosicmaterial with either strong acids or strong bases to disassociate thelignin from the cellulosic fibers. Operators may then separate, wash,and further process the cellulosic fibers into pulp or other pulp-basedproducts. Chemical process examples include: the Kraft process (alsoknown as the “sulfate process”), the sulfite process, the soda pulpingprocess, and the sulfite semi-chemical pulping process.

While the processing chemicals for each type of chemical process mayvary, mill operators frequently recover and recycle these processchemicals to operate the mill economically. For example, in the Kraftprocess, mill operators digest lignocellulosic material (commonly woodchips) in large pressurized vessels with “white liquor” comprisingsodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulfide (Na₂S). During the digestionstep, the white liquor reacts with lignin and other compounds in thelignocellulosic material and takes on a dark color. Unsurprisingly, thisreacted liquor is known as “black liquor.” Whereas the white liquorcomprises the reactants sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulfide(Na₂S), the black liquor contains the chemical products sodium carbonate(Na₂CO₃) and sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄). While sodium hydroxide (NaOH) andsodium sulfide (Na₂S) are generally inexpensive, it is generally costprohibitive to purchase new solutions of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) andsodium sulfide (Na₂S) to maintain production. For this reason, manychemical pulp mills use pyrolytic chemical recovery systems to recycleat least a portion of the produced sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) and sodiumsulfate (Na₂SO₄). Converting these products back into the commerciallyuseful chemical reactants, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium sulfide(Na₂S), allows mills to run economically.

New black liquor from a chemical digester is generally dilute andnon-combustible. Therefore, to prepare black liquor for pyrolysis,operators generally funnel the black liquor through flash tanks or otherevaporation steps to concentrate the solid particles in the blackliquor. Operators then heat and inject the concentrated black liquorinto a chemical recovery boiler. The recovery boiler evaporates theremaining water from the black liquor droplets and the solid compoundsin the black liquor undergo partial pyrolysis. The remaining inorganiccompounds fall to the bottom of the furnace and accumulate in a charbed. Some of the carbon and carbon monoxide in the char bed acts as acatalyst to convert most of the sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) into sodiumsulfide (Na₂S). The sodium sulfide (Na₂S) then exits the recovery boilerwith the sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) as liquid smelt.

This smelt flows through one or more smelt spouts at the bottom of therecovery boiler. Coolant, usually water, may cool the smelt spouts.Operators typically collect the green liquor and transport the greenliquor to a causticizing plant to react the sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃)with lime (CaO) to convert the sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) into sodiumhydroxide (NaOH) and thereby reproduce the white liquor.

As the smelt contacts the green liquor in a dissolving tank, the smeltexplodes and emits a series of audible sounds. This is generally knownas “banging” by those in the industry. The smelt flowing from the spoutis typically between 750° C. to 820° C., while the average temperatureof the green liquor is about 70° C. to 100° C. Without being bound bytheory, it is believed that the large temperature difference mayincrease the reactivity of the smelt and green liquor and thereby causeor contribute to banging. If left unregulated, a sudden influx of smeltmay cause an explosion in the dissolving tank and recovery boiler, whichposes grave safety risks to nearby operating personnel.

To manage smelt dissolution and to avoid excessive noise and thepossibility of catastrophic explosions, conventional dissolving tanksgenerally disrupt the smelt as the smelt falls from the spout.Disruptors may be one or more shatter jets. A shatter jet blasts thefalling smelt with steam or other shattering fluid at high pressure tocreate smelt droplets. These droplets collectively have a greatersurface area than an undisrupted smelt flow. The individual dropletsalso have a smaller volume than an overall undisrupted smelt flow. Theincreased surface area and smaller amounts of reactants allows forbanging explosions that are generally less intense than the explosionswould be if the smelt contacted the green liquor as a continuous,uninterrupted, undisrupted flow. Typically, the end of the spout iselevated above the liquid level of green liquor and the shatter jetsdisrupt falling smelt as the smelt falls from the spout end. The shatterjet nozzles cannot be adjusted remotely. When a smelt upset occurs,operators generally cannot safely adjust the discharge rate ofdisrupting fluid into the dissolving tank.

Occasionally, smelt may cool prematurely in the recovery boiler or spoutand decrease or eliminate the smelt flow rate. In this antediluvianstate, liquid smelt tends to accumulate behind the obstruction. If theobstruction dislodges, the sudden smelt influx may overwhelm the shatterjet's ability to disrupt the smelt into sufficiently small droplets andan agitator's ability to mix the influx into the green liquoreffectively. Moreover, if the deluge is particularly substantial, thesmelt may flow over the sides of the spout and bypass the shatter jetsentirely. In other scenarios, a shatter jet or agitator may fail. Inthese situations, the increased volume of smelt contacting the greenliquor drastically increases the banging's explosive intensity andexplosion risk.

In many mills, operators commonly move in and amongst the processingequipment to monitor process conditions and output. An explosion in thedissolving tank or recovery boiler poses a serious safety risk topersonnel in the immediate vicinity, and the resulting fire poses aserious risk to personnel in the rest of the mill. Such explosions alsocause an unregulated amount of pollutants to enter the air andgroundwater and predicate significant production loss. Explosions ofthis scale can inactivate a mill for weeks to months.

FIG. 1 depicts a recovery boiler 102 having a smelt spout 105 adjacentto a dissolving tank 135. The smelt spout 105 directs a volume of smelt110 into the dissolving tank 135. A typical recovery boiler 102 may havebetween three and six smelt spouts 105 disposed around the bottom of atleast one side of the recover boiler 102 for example. Some recoveryboilers 102 have smelt spouts 105 on oppositely disposed sides. As seenin the cutaway, the dissolving tank 135 contains a dissolving liquid130. The dissolving liquid 130 is commonly green liquor. The liquidlevel 125 of the dissolving liquid 130 is generally below the top 134 ofthe dissolving tank 135. A primary agitator 140 driven by a motor Magitates the dissolving liquid 130 and helps equalize the dissolvingliquid's temperature. The motor M may be a variable speed drive motor.Although the primary agitator 140 depicted in FIG. 1 is a propeller 141connected to a driveshaft 142, it will be understood by those havingordinary skill in the art that an “agitator” is a device configured tomove dissolving liquid 130 through the dissolving tank 135. Otheragitators may include for example, fluid jets 136, devices that undulatethe dissolving liquid 130, and other rotating bodies.

Primary agitators 140 typically comprise a propeller 141 or othermechanical implement extending into the dissolving liquid 130. Secondaryagitators (see 136) may be fluid jets 136 that inject air or other fluidinto the dissolving liquid 130 to agitate the dissolving liquid 130.While it is possible to use secondary agitators (see 136) simultaneouslywith primary agitators 140, operators more commonly activate secondaryagitators (see 136) when primary agitators 140 fail or underperform. Asthe volume of smelt 110 falls from the spout 105, a disruptor 115, forexample, a “shatter jet,” directs a pressurized disrupting fluid 117(commonly in the form of steam) toward the falling smelt 110. Thedisrupting fluid 117 interrupts the continuous smelt stream 110 andthereby creates smelt droplets 120. While shatter jets are common typesof disruptors 115, it will be understood that other devices that breakup or dropletize the smelt stream 110 falling form the spout 105 is a“disruptor” 115.

After the smelt droplets 120 contact the dissolving liquid 130, thesmelt droplets 120 emit an audible bang and eventually dissolve into thedissolving liquid 130. In an upset condition, the amount of undissolvedsmelt in the dissolving tank 135 increases. When the amount ofundissolved smelt increases in the dissolving tank 135 due to anincreased flow rate, the incoming smelt stream 110 can overwhelm adisruptor's ability to shatter the smelt stream 110 into sufficientlysmall smelt droplets 120. Without being bound by theory, it is believedthat the vast differences in temperatures between the volume of smelt110 and the dissolving liquid 130 causes the smelt droplets 120 toexplode soon after contacting the dissolving liquid 130.

An operator 101 is included in FIG. 1 to show the approximate scale of aperson relative to the recovery boiler 102 and dissolving tank 135.Process conditions frequently change in a recovery boiler 102. Forexample, boiler load and falling salt cake from the top of the recoveryboiler can change the rate of smelt flow and the position of the smeltflow relative to the disruptor. To ensure that the disruptor 115 isstill dropletizing the smelt flow effectively, operators traditionallymanually adjusted the position of the disruptor including the angle ofthe disruptor and the extent to which the disruptor 115 extends into thehood 103 of the dissolving tank 135. In addition, operators 101 couldmanually adjust the rate at which disruptor fluid 117 emanated from thedisruptor 115.

Manual disruptor adjustment poses a significant safety risk. Forexample, the temperature inside the recovery boiler 102 typically rangesfrom about 1000° C. to about 1250° C. when fully operational. Windboxes116 feed a near constant flow of air into the recovery boiler 102 tomaintain combustion. To facilitate efficient pyrolysis, operators tendto try to create a cyclone of airflow into the recovery boiler 102. Asseen in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the spout opening 106 extends directly into theinside of the recovery boiler 102. The turbulent conditions of therecovery boiler 102 occasionally emit superheated gases from the spoutopenings 106.

As FIG. 1 illustrates, the spout opening 106 is frequently aligned withthe inspection door 107 in the dissolving tank hood 103. To protect aproximate operator 101, the inspection door 107 may be closed duringrecovery boiler operation. When an operator is not present, theinspection door 107 can be open. Some mills aim cameras through the openinspection door 107 to monitor the smelt flow 110. However, if theoperator 101 intends to make manual adjustments, the operator typicallyopens to inspection door 107 between adjustments to evaluate howeffectively the disrupting fluid 117 is hitting the smelt falling fromthe smelt spout 105. While this inspection door is open, the operator101 risks being exposed to unpredictable jets of superheated gasemanating from the spout opening 106. Furthermore, these gas jets mayeject drops of molten 750° C. to 820° C. smelt 110 onto the operator101. The operator 101 is therefore at significant risk of bodily injurywhen adjusting the disruptor manually. Additionally, the placement ofother equipment proximate to the disruptor 115 may limit the operator'srange of motion while adjusting the operating conditions 123 of thedisruptor 115 and may motivate the operators to position his or her bodyin a precarious position at the risk of falling or incurring otherinjuries.

Furthermore, a typical recovery boiler 102 may have wall width of about30 feet to about 40 feet for example and have about three to about sixsmelt spouts. 105 The process conditions within a recovery boiler 102change constantly, yet it can take the average operator about 30 minuteson average to adjust all disruptors 115 manually, thereby increasing theoperator's exposure to safety risks while also failing to maintain theoperating conditions 123 (FIG. 4 ) of the disruptor 115 in response tothe dynamic changes in smelt flow and in the smelt's physical andchemical properties.

To mitigate this problem, an exemplary embodiment of a recovery boilerdissolving tank disruptor adjustment system 100 is provided. FIG. 2depicts such an exemplary embodiment comprising: a dissolving tank 135,a smelt spout 105 adjacent to the dissolving tank 135, wherein the smeltspout 105 is configured to convey a volume of smelt 110 into thedissolving tank 135. A disruptor 115 is configured to disrupt the volumeof smelt 110 flowing from the smelt spout 105 into the dissolving tank135. A sensor 156 is configured to record process data 137 from arecovery boiler 102, and a control system 160 is configured to receive asensor output signal 177 from the sensor 156, wherein the sensor outputsignal 177 indicates the process data 137 at a measured time T, whereinthe control system 160 is further configured to compare the sensoroutput signal 177 to a programmed operation range for a processcondition, and to send a disruptor input signal 172 to the disruptor 115to adjust a disruptor operating condition 123 if the process data 137 isoutside of the programmed operation range.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the sensor 156 contains a signalgenerator 163 (FIG. 6 ) configured to generate the sensor output signal177. In other exemplary embodiments, the signal generator 163 isseparate from the sensor 156.

In certain exemplary embodiments, an actuator 175 is operatively engagedto the disruptor 115, wherein the actuator 175 is configured to adjust aposition of the disruptor 115 in response to a disruptor input signal172.

For the purposes of this disclosure, the position of the disruptor 115is a disruptor operating condition 123. The position of the disruptor115 can comprise an insertion depth. In other exemplary embodiments, theposition of the disruptor 115 can comprises an angle of the disruptor115. In still other exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptor115 comprises both the insertion depth of the disruptor in the hood 103of the dissolving tank 135 and the angle of the disruptor 115. For thepurposes of this disclosure, a “disruptor operating condition” 123 canbe a rate of disrupting fluid flow.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the process data 137 is selected fromthe group consisting of: a rate of smelt flow, dissolving tankoperational data, and a smelt spout cooling water temperature.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the system may further comprise acamera configured to capture an image of the smelt 110 in the smeltspout 105.

Another exemplary embodiment is a disruptor adjustment system 100comprising: a disruptor assembly 164 configured to disrupt a volume ofsmelt 110 flowing from a smelt spout 105 into the dissolving tank 135,wherein the disruptor assembly 164 comprises an actuator 175 operativelyengaged to a disruptor 115, a sensor 156 configured to record processdata 137 from the recovery boiler 120; and a control system 160configured to receive a sensor output signal 177 from the sensor 156,wherein the sensor output signal 177 indicates the process data 137 at ameasured time T, wherein the control system 160 is further configured tocompare the sensor output signal 177 to a programmed operation range,and to send a disruptor input signal 172 to the disruptor assembly 164to adjust a disruptor operating condition 123 if the process data 137 ofthe sensor output signal 177 is outside of the programmed operationrange.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the actuator 175 is configured toadjust a position of the disruptor 115 in response to a disruptor inputsignal 172.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of an exemplary system, the controlsystem 160 is further configured to receive a disruptor output signal173 indicating the disruptor output, wherein the control system 160 isfurther configured to send an agitator input signal 176 to an agitator140 to adjust the rate of agitation when the disruptor output signal 173indicates that the disruptor output is at a maximum and when the sensoroutput signal 177 indicates that the process data 137 is outside of theprogrammed operation range.

An exemplary system can further comprise multiple sensors 156 disposedin, on, or around the recovery boiler 102, wherein the multiple sensors156 are configured to measure multiple process data types.

Process data 137 may come from the following sources for example:temperature of the smelt spout cooling water, temperature of thedissolving tank vent stack, dissolving tank operational data (such asdissolving tank noise, and smelt flow position from the smelt spout),digital data that quantifies smelt flow and/or velocity of the smeltexiting the smelt spout 115, digital data quantifying smelt inventory inthe recovery boiler 102 (such as volume, location, etc.), and chemicalcharacteristics of the smelt 110. Combinations of any of these types ofprocess data 137 is considered to be within the scope of thisdisclosure. Other process data from a chemical recovery mill that can becorrelated to smelt flow are considered to be within the scope of thisdisclosure.

In an exemplary embodiment, the process data 137 is the temperature forthe smelt spout cooling water that exits the smelt spout 105. This isknown as the outlet temperature of the smelt spout cooling water. A highoutlet temperature of the cooling water could indicate a heavy smeltflow. An exemplary control system 160 as described herein is configuredto adjust one or more disruptor operating conditions to mitigate thedeviations in the smelt flow. A low outlet temperature of the coolingwater could indicate a low smelt flow for example.

In other exemplary embodiments, the process data 137 is the temperaturemeasured from the dissolving tank vent stack. A high vent stacktemperature could indicate a heavy smelt flow. A low vent stacktemperature could indicate a low smelt flow. In exemplary embodimentswhere the process data 137 is dissolving tank operational data,increased noise, or “banging” could indicate poor disruptor positionand/or heavy smelt flow. In embodiments wherein digital data quantifiessmelt flow and/or the velocity of smelt 110 exiting the smelt spout 105,a high velocity indicates a high smelt flow, whereas a lower velocityindicates a lower smelt flow. In embodiment wherein the digital dataquantifies the smelt inventory in the recovery boiler 102 (e.g. thevolume, location of the smelt bed, etc.) a high volume could indicatethat a heavy smelt flow is forthcoming.

Digital data can come from a visual analysis system. In one suchexemplary embodiment, a camera can be aimed through an open inspectiondoor 107 to record the flow of smelt 110 from the spout 105. Referringto FIG. 8 , the camera or other image capture device can record picturesor video and transmit the pictures or video to a control systemcomprising a platform. The platform can comprise a user interface, amodule for performing numerical analysis, and a data storage module. Theuser interface can be a mobile device for example (such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop for example) or a monitor (such as in a controlcenter for example). The digital data (i.e. a type of process data 137)is relayed to the control system. The control system further comprises atool for analyzing the picture of video to quantify the process data.For example, the analysis tool can quantify the percentage of sulfate,unburned material, and sulfite in a given sample. The control system canthen store the analysis results in a data module, use a numericalanalysis module to further analyze the results and calculate historicaltrends, and display the results (i.e. numeric data) on the userinterface for remote operator review. In certain exemplary embodiments,the operator can then remotely adjust a disruptor operating condition123 in response to results displayed on the user interface. In otherexemplary embodiments, the control system can suggest changes to theremote operator. In such embodiments, the remote operator initiates thesending of the disruptor input signal 172 to adjust an operatingcondition 123 of the disruptor 115 in response to certain process data137. In yet other exemplary embodiments, the control system can send adisruptor input signal 172 to the disruptor assembly 164 to adjust adisruptor operating condition 123 without remote operator review.

In embodiments in which the process data 137 is one or more chemicalcharacteristics of smelt (sulfidity, etc.) a low sulfidity increases theviscosity and the melting temperature of smelt, thereby often leading toa lower angle of smelt flow. By contrast, a high sulfidity deceasessmelt viscosity to a point. An exemplary system 100 as described hereinis configured to adjust one or more disruptor operating conditions tomitigate the deviations in smelt flow.

In certain exemplary embodiments, multiple disruptors 115 are disposedabove the dissolving tank 135. In certain exemplary embodiments, anoperator may adjust the disruptor 115 remotely based upon visual inputsfrom a sensor 156, in such embodiments, the sensor is likely to be acamera.

Another exemplary disruptor adjustment system 100 comprises: a disruptorassembly 164 configured to disrupt a volume of smelt 110 flowing from asmelt spout 105 into the dissolving tank 135, wherein the disruptorassembly 164 comprises an actuator 175 operatively engaged to adisruptor 115, a sensor 156 configured to record process data 137 fromthe recovery boiler 102, and a control system 160 configured to receivea sensor output signal 177 from the sensor 156, wherein the sensoroutput signal 177 indicates the process data 137 at a measured time T,wherein the control system 160 is further configured to compare thesensor output signal 177 to a programmed operation range for the processdata 137, and to send a disruptor input signal 172 to disruptor assembly164 to change a first disruptor operating condition 123 to a seconddisruptor operating condition 123 if the sensor output signal 177 isoutside of the programmed operation range.

Sensors 156 may be disposed in or around the dissolving tank 135 or inor around the recovery boiler 102 to monitor process conditions. Thesignal generators 163 typically associated with the sensors 156 generatea sensor output signal 177 and transmit the sensor output signal 177 tothe control system 160. The control system 160 in turn is configured toadjust a disruptor operating condition 123 based on the value of thesensor output signal 177. Other “process conditions” may include, forexample, temperature of the recovery boiler, temperature of thedissolving liquid 130, acoustic emissions from the banging, and thedensity of the dissolving liquid 130.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the control system 160 may be selectedfrom the group consisting of a computer, a programmable logic controller(“PLC”), a field programmable gate array (“FPGA”), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), or other processor.

In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the control system 160 is insignal communication with the disruptor assembly 164, the sensors 156,and optionally, the primary agitator 140. Signal communication may beachieved through wires or wirelessly. It is further contemplated that“signal communication” may comprise the use of one or more intermediatesignal processors (e.g. amplifiers, analog to digital converters,relays, filters, etc.) configured to modify and/or transmit the signalsbetween the control system 160 and the disruptor assembly 164, thesensors 156, and optionally, the primary agitator 140. Combinations ofany of the disclosed embodiments are within the scope of thisdisclosure.

As an example of an exemplary method, the control system 160 may receivea disruptor output signal 173 from a disruptor 115 and a sensor outputsignal 177 from a sensor 156. The disruptor output signal 173 mayindicate that the disruptors 115 are emitting disrupting fluid 117 at amaximum flow rate. The sensor output signal 177 may indicate that thedensity of the dissolving liquid 130 is above the desirable range. Thecontrol system 160 may analyze the signals 173, 177 and send an agitatorinput signal 176 to the agitator (see 140, 136) to increase the rate ofagitation. A nominal range for the density of the dissolving liquid 130is typically between 1,100 kilograms per meter cubed (“kg/m³”) and 1,180kg/m³. If the sensor 156 is a temperature sensor, the desirable or“nominal” temperature range for the dissolving liquid 130 if thedissolving liquid 130 is green liquor is about 70° C. to 100° C.

FIGS. 4 and 5 depict one embodiment of a control system 160 foradjusting a disruptor operating condition 123 to mitigate the effects ofsmelt flow variations.

The control system 160 is in communication with the disruptor adjustmentsystems 100 that have been described above with reference to FIGS. 2-3 .For example, the control system 160 may include at least one signalgenerator 163 in communication with disruptor adjustment systems 100that adjusts a disruptor operating condition 123 in responses to changesin smelt flow characteristics. In one embodiment, the at least onesignal generator 163 is in communication with the disruptor assembly164.

In some embodiments, the control system 160 may include a receiver 179for receiving measured smelt flow deviations between the smelt flow andthe emission end 166 of the disruptor 115.

In some embodiments, the control system 160 may further include acorrective disruptor operating condition analyzer 182 that employs ahardware processor 183 for performing a set of instructions forcomparing the smelt flow deviations to the baseline smelt flow positionvalues in providing a corrective disruptor operating conditiondimension. As employed herein, the term “hardware processor subsystem”or “hardware processor” can refer to a processor, memory, software orcombinations thereof that cooperate to perform one or more specifictasks. In useful embodiments, the hardware processor subsystem caninclude one or more data processing elements (e.g., logic circuits,processing circuits, instruction execution devices, etc.). The one ormore data processing elements can be included in a central processingunit, a graphics processing unit, and/or a separate processor- orcomputing element-based controller (e.g., logic gates, etc.). Thehardware processor subsystem can include one or more on-board memories(e.g., caches, dedicated memory arrays, read only memory, etc.). In someembodiments, the hardware processor subsystem can include one or morememories that can be on or off board or that can be dedicated for use bythe hardware processor subsystem (e.g., ROM, RAM, basic input/outputsystem (BIOS), etc.).

More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the control system 160receives data measured on the smelt flow position relative to thedisruptor position from a sensor 156, which can measure the smelt flowposition during operation. The control system 160 then employs thecorrective disruptor operating condition analyzer 182 to compare thedata measured on the smelt flow position from the sensor 156 to thebaseline smelt flow position 157 that was previously determined in step1 of the method depicted in FIG. 7 . The baseline smelt flow positionvalues may be stored in the memory 185 of the control system 160, whichcan be provided in a module for baseline smelt flow position 186. Insome embodiments, the corrective disruptor operating condition analyzer182 determines if the difference between the baseline smelt flowposition 157 and the measured smelt flow is a deviation that issignificant enough to be a smelt flow deviation from which the disruptoradjustment system 100 may benefit from a correction in a disruptoroperating condition 123 actuated by the actuator 175 or by adjusting therate of disrupting fluid dissemination. To determine if correction issuitable, the corrective disruptor operating condition analyzer 182 mayemploy a number of rules that are actuated by the hardware processor 183in calculating a solution to smelt flow position deviations.

Each of the components for the control system 160 that are depicted inFIG. 4 may be interconnected via a system bus 193.

Any of the systems or machines (e.g., devices) shown in FIG. 4 may be,include, or otherwise be implemented in a special-purpose (e.g.,specialized or otherwise non-generic) computer that has been modified(e.g., configured or programmed by software, such as one or moresoftware modules of an application, operating system, firmware,middleware, or other program) to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed herein for that system or machine. For example, aspecial-purpose computer system able to implement any one or more of themethodologies described herein is discussed above, and such aspecial-purpose computer may, accordingly, be a means for performing anyone or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Within the technicalfield of such special-purpose computers, a special-purpose computer thathas been modified by the structures discussed herein to perform thefunctions discussed herein is technically improved compared to otherspecial-purpose computers that lack the structures discussed herein orare otherwise unable to perform the functions discussed herein.Accordingly, a special-purpose machine configured according to thesystems and methods discussed herein provides an improvement to thetechnology of similar special-purpose machines.

The control system 160 may be integrated into the processing system 195depicted in FIG. 5 . The processing system 195 includes at least oneprocessor (CPU) 104 operatively coupled to other components via a systembus 193. A cache 111, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 108, a Random AccessMemory (RAM) 180, an input/output (I/O) adapter 121, a sound adapter131, a network adapter 144, a user interface adapter 153, and a displayadapter 170, are operatively coupled to the system bus 193. The bus 193interconnects a plurality of components as will be described herein.

The processing system 195 depicted in FIG. 5 , may further include afirst storage device 122 and a second storage device 124 are operativelycoupled to system bus 193 by the I/O adapter 121. The storage devices122 and 124 can be any of a disk storage device (e.g., a magnetic oroptical disk storage device), a solid state magnetic device, and soforth. The storage devices 122 and 124 can be the same type of storagedevice or different types of storage devices.

A speaker 132 is operatively coupled to system bus 193 by the soundadapter 131. A transceiver 145 is operatively coupled to system bus 193by network adapter 144. A display device 162 is operatively coupled tosystem bus 193 by display adapter 170.

A first user input device 152, a second user input device 154, and athird user input device 158 are operatively coupled to system bus 193 byuser interface adapter 153. The user input devices 152, 154, and 158 canbe any of a keyboard, a mouse, a keypad, an image capture device, amotion sensing device, a microphone, a device incorporating thefunctionality of at least two of the preceding devices, and so forth. Ofcourse, other types of input devices can also be used, while maintainingthe spirit of the present invention. The user input devices 152, 154,and 158 can be the same type of user input device or different types ofuser input devices. The user input devices 152, 154, and 158 are used toinput and output information to and from the processing system 195.

Of course, the processing system 195 may also include other elements(not shown), as readily contemplated by one of skill in the art, as wellas omit certain elements. For example, various other input devicesand/or output devices can be included in processing system 195,depending upon the particular implementation of the same, as readilyunderstood by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, varioustypes of wireless and/or wired input and/or output devices can be used.Moreover, additional processors, controllers, memories, and so forth, invarious configurations can also be utilized as readily appreciated byone of ordinary skill in the art. These and other variations of theprocessing system 195 are readily contemplated by one of ordinary skillin the art given the teachings of the present invention provided herein.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting possible signal paths of the sensoroutput signal 177, which is measured by the sensor 156 in measuringprocess data 137, such as the position of the smelt flow relative to thedisruptor 115. In operation, the sensor 156 measures the distance D ofthe smelt flow 110 to the disruptor 115 to generate a sensor outputsignal 177. The sensor 156 then transmits the sensor output signal 177to the control system 160 that is configured to analyze the sensoroutput signal 177. The control system 160 may take a variety of formsphysically, and may include by way of example, an integrated power andsignal device, or separate power and signal processing devices connectedtogether. The control system 160 may be digital or analog, andcontrolled by programmable logic controller (“PLC”) logic or relaylogic. In an exemplary embodiment, the control system 160 includes acorrective disruptor operating condition analyzer 182 that compares thevalue of the sensor output signal 177 to a baseline smelt flow position157. The baseline smelt flow position 157 may include the values storedwithin the module for baseline smelt flow position 186 that can bestored in the memory 185 of the control system 160. The control system160 can then send disruptor input signal 172 to the disruptor assembly164 if the sensor output signal 177 differs (e.g. is not an element in)from the baseline smelt flow position 157. In one embodiment, if thesensor output signal 177 exceeds the baseline smelt flow position 157,the disruptor input signal 172 directs actuator 175 to change the angleof the disruptor 115 relative to the smelt flow 110. In anotherexemplary embodiment, if the sensor output signal 177 exceeds thebaseline smelt flow position 157, the disruptor input signal 172 directsactuator 175 to change insertion depth of the disruptor 115 in the hood103 relative to the smelt flow 110. In an exemplary embodiment, thedisruptor 115 provides a redundant disruptor output signal 173 to thecontrol system 160 to confirm the disruptor operating condition 123 ofthe disruptor 115.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product can provide a method for maintaining adesirable position between an emission end 166 of a disruptor 115 and asmelt flow 110. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention. For example, the present disclosure provides acomputer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein.The computer readable program code can provide the steps of measuring abaseline smelt flow position 157 between at least one emission end 166of a disruptor 115 and the smelt flow 110. An actuator 175 may beengaged to the at least disruptor 115.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as SMALLTALK, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a method for adjusting a disruptoroperating condition 123 to mitigate the effects of variations in thesmelt flow position 110, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIGS. 2-3 illustrate an exemplary disruptoradjustment system 100 that can be used in combination with the methoddescribed with reference to FIG. 7 . FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates someembodiments of a control system 160 for use with the structures andmethods depicted in FIGS. 6-7 .

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Referring to block 126 of FIG. 7 , in one embodiment, the method formaintaining a desirable disruption of the smelt flow 110 may begin withmeasuring a baseline smelt flow position between at least one disruptoremission end 166 and the smelt flow 110 pouring from the smelt spout 105at desirable conditions. The boiler depicted here is a recovery boiler102. However, the methods, systems and structures of the presentdisclosure are not limited to only this example. The methods, structuresand systems described herein are applicable to any boilers that smeltspouts 115.

As used herein, the “smelt flow position” is a dimension between thesmelt flow 110 and an emission end 166 of at least one disruptor 115.The smelt flow position is depicted in FIG. 2 , in which the dimensionfor the smelt flow position is identified by D. The smelt flow positionin the systems described herein may be continually measured, andcompared to the “baseline smelt flow position”. In some embodiments, thedifference between the baseline smelt flow position and the measuredsmelt flow position provides the differential by which the disruptor 115may be adjusted to provide for an optimized distance and angle betweenthe emission end 166 of the disruptor 115 and the smelt flow 110. Thebaseline smelt flow position may take into account a mode of operationfor the recovery boiler 102. For example, the baseline smelt flowposition may be different for startup of the recovery boiler 102, whenthe recovery boiler 102 is processing reduced throughput of blackliquor, when the recovery boiler is processing black liquor of differentchemical compositions, when the recovery boiler is operating atcapacity, and a combination of those factors. The baseline smelt flowposition may also take into account different operational considerationsof the disruptor 115, such as the throughput capacity of the disruptor115.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the baseline smelt flow position 186 may be storedin the memory 185 of a control system 160 for maintaining a desirabledistance D and orientation between an emission end 166 of the disruptor115 and the smelt flow 110. The control system 160 may also be referredto as the controller that receives a sensor output signal 177 from asensor 156 measuring the position of the smelt flow 110 relative to theemission end 166 of the disruptor 115. The control system 160 canfurther adjust a disruptor operating condition 123 to compensate for thedeviations in the smelt flow position. In one embodiment, the controlsystem 160 may include at least one module of memory 186 for storingbaseline smelt flow position values for a dimension between at least onedisruptor 115 and the smelt flow 110.

The baseline smelt flow position values may be entered into the controlsystem 160 by an operator that interfaces with the control system 160over a user interface adapter 153, as depicted in FIG. 5 . In thisexample, an operator of the recovery boiler 102 may enter values for thebaseline smelt flow position from at least one input device 152, 154,158. The at least one input device 152, 154, 158 may be any computingdevice, such as a desktop computer, mobile computer, laptop computer,tablet, smart phone and/or computer specific to the turbine.

The input devices 152, 154, 158 may be in connection with the userinterface adapter 153 via a wireless connection, or the input devices152, 154, 156 may be hard wired into electrical communication with theuser interface adapter 153.

The baseline smelt flow position may be a value that is manuallymeasured from the recovery boiler 102 during start up, or while therecovery boiler 102 is offline, and may also take into accountmeasurements while the recovery boiler 102 is in operation.

In some other embodiments, the control system 160 may employ machinelearning to adjust the baseline smelt flow position taking into accountat least one of historical measurements for the smelt flow position,real time measurements of the smelt flow position and operator suggestedvalues for the smelt flow position. Machine learning algorithms build amathematical model based on sample data, known as “training data”, inorder to make predictions or decisions without being explicitlyprogrammed to perform the task. In this case, the historicalmeasurements may be employed with operation conditions to providetraining data algorithms, which can in turn be employed to use real timedata to update the baseline smelt flow position.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the method may continue at block 127 using adisruptor adjustment system comprising a disruptor assembly, thedisruptor assembly may include an actuator engaged to a disruptor,wherein the disruptor assembly is actuated by a motive force from theactuator to change a disruptor operating condition 123, wherein adisruptor operating condition 123 may be selected from the groupconsisting of: the disruptor angle of insertion, the disruptor depth ofinsertion, and the rate of disrupting fluid exiting the emission end 166of the disruptor 115.

The method may further include Measuring smelt flow deviations betweenthe smelt flow and the emission end 166 of the disruptor block 128. Themethod may continue with block 129 in further calculating a differencebetween the smelt flow position deviations and the baseline smelt flowposition. In some embodiments, the calculation of the difference betweenthe smelt flow position deviations and the baseline smelt flow positionis provided by a control system 160, which can include a correctivedisruptor operating condition analyzer 182. Referring to block 139 ofFIG. 7 , in some embodiments, the method includes changing a disruptoroperating condition 123 to compensate for the difference between thesmelt flow position deviations and the baseline smelt flow position.

An exemplary method for monitoring and adjusting a disruptor operatingcondition 123 for a disruptor 115 disposed over a dissolving tank 135comprises: receiving a sensor output signal 177 from an sensor 156, thesensor output signal 117 indicating a process condition at a measuredtime T; receiving a disruptor output signal 173 from a disruptorassembly 164 disposed over a dissolving tank 135 indicating a currentdisruptor operating condition 123, comparing the sensor output signal117 with a baseline smelt flow position for the process condition;comparing the disruptor output signal 173 with a baseline disruptoroperating condition for the disruptor 115; and sending a disruptor inputsignal 172 to the disruptor 115 to adjust the disruptor operatingcondition 123 when the sensor output signal 177 is outside the desirableoperation range for the process condition.

An exemplary recovery boiler dissolving tank disruptor adjustment systemcomprises: a dissolving tank, a spout adjacent to the dissolving tank,wherein the spout is configured to convey a volume of smelt into thedissolving tank, a disruptor configured to disrupt the volume of smeltflowing from the spout into the dissolving tank, a sensor configured torecord process data from a recovery boiler, and a control systemconfigured to receive a sensor output signal from the sensor, whereinthe sensor output signal indicates the process data at a measured time,wherein the control system is further configured to compare the sensoroutput signal to a programmed operation range for the process condition,and to send a disruptor input signal to the disruptor to adjust adisruptor operating condition if the process data is outside of theprogrammed operation range.

An exemplary system may further comprise an actuator operatively engagedto the disruptor, wherein the actuator is configured to adjust aposition of the disruptor in response to a disruptor input signal.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptor is adisruptor operating condition.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptorcomprises an insertion depth.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptorcomprises an angle of the disruptor.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the disruptor operating conditionfurther comprises a rate of steam flow.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the process data is selected from thegroup consisting of: a rate of smelt flow, dissolving tank operationaldata, and a smelt spout cooling water temperature.

An exemplary system may further comprise a camera configured to capturean image of the smelt in the smelt spout.

An exemplary disruptor adjustment system comprises: a disruptor assemblyconfigured to disrupt a volume of smelt flowing from a smelt spout intothe dissolving tank, wherein the disruptor assembly comprises anactuator operatively engaged to a disruptor, a sensor configured torecord process data from the recovery boiler, and a control systemconfigured to receive a sensor output signal from the sensor, whereinthe sensor output signal indicates the process data at a measured time,wherein the control system is further configured to compare the sensoroutput signal to a programmed operation range, and to send a disruptorinput signal to the disruptor assembly to adjust a disruptor operatingcondition if the process data of the sensor output signal is outside ofthe programmed operation range.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the actuator is configured to adjust aposition of the disruptor in response to a disruptor input signal.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptor is adisruptor operating condition.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptorcomprises an insertion depth.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the position of the disruptorcomprises an angle of the disruptor.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the disruptor operating conditionfurther comprises a rate of steam flow.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the process data is selected from thegroup consisting of: a rate of smelt flow, dissolving tank operationaldata, and a smelt spout cooling water temperature.

An exemplary system may further comprise a camera configured to capturean image of the smelt leaving the smelt spout.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the control system is furtherconfigured to receive a disruptor output signal indicating the disruptoroutput, wherein the control system is further configured to send anagitator input signal to an agitator to adjust the rate of agitationwhen the disruptor output signal indicates that the disruptor output isat a maximum and when the sensor output signal indicates that theprocess data is outside of the programmed desirable range.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the control system is furtherconfigured to receive a transducer output signal indicating thetransducer output, wherein the control system is further configured tosend a disruptor input signal to the disruptor to adjust the rate ofdisruption when the transducer output signal indicates that thetransducer output is at a maximum and when the sensor output signalindicates that the process condition is outside of the programmeddesirable range.

An exemplary system may further comprise multiple sensors disposed in,on, or around the recovery boiler, wherein the multiple sensors areconfigured to measure multiple process data types.

An exemplary system may further comprise multiple disruptors disposedabove the dissolving tank.

An exemplary disruptor adjustment system comprises: a disruptor assemblyconfigured to disrupt a volume of smelt flowing from a smelt spout intothe dissolving tank, wherein the disruptor assembly comprises anactuator operatively engaged to a disruptor; a sensor configured torecord process data from the recovery boiler; and a control systemconfigured to receive a sensor output signal from the sensor, whereinthe sensor output signal indicates the process data at a measured time,wherein the control system is further configured to compare the sensoroutput signal to a programmed operation range for the process data, andto send a disruptor input signal to disruptor assembly to change a firstdisruptor operating condition to a second disruptor operating conditionif the sensor output signal is outside of the programmed operationrange.

An exemplary method for monitoring and adjusting a disruptor operatingcondition for a disruptor disposed over a dissolving tank comprises:receiving a sensor output signal from an sensor, the sensor outputsignal indicating a process condition at a measured time; receiving adisruptor output signal from a disruptor assembly disposed over adissolving tank indicating a current disruptor operating condition;comparing the sensor output signal with a baseline smelt flow positionfor the process condition; comparing the disruptor output signal with abaseline disruptor operating condition for the disruptor; and sending adisruptor input signal to the disruptor to adjust the disruptoroperating condition when the sensor output signal is outside thedesirable operation range for the process condition.

An exemplary method may further comprise receiving an agitator outputsignal from an agitator indicating a rate of agitation, and sending anagitator input signal to the agitator to adjust the rate of agitationwhen the disruptor output signal is outside of the programmed desirableoperation range for the disruptor.

An exemplary method may further comprise sending a sensor input signalto the sensor to adjust a sensitivity to the process condition.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the inventionencompassed by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for controlling a recovery boiler smeltdisruptor, the method comprising: conveying a volume of smelt into adissolving tank from a furnace of the recovery boiler via a smelt spout;receiving a sensor output signal from an optical sensor, the opticalsensor output signal indicating a process condition in the recoveryboiler; analyzing the sensor output signal to determine a smelt flowposition for the process condition; sending a disruptor input signal tothe smelt disruptor to adjust a disruptor operating condition based onthe process condition; and shattering the smelt being conveyed into thedissolving tank.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: analyzinga disruptor output signal to determine a disruptor operating conditionfor the smelt disruptor.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein shatteringthe smelt comprises controlling a flow of a shattering fluid from thesmelt disruptor by controlling an actuator configured to control ashattering fluid source.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein controllingthe shattering fluid source comprises controlling the flow of theshattering fluid to one or more shatter j et nozzles.
 5. The method ofclaim 3, wherein controlling the actuator comprises controlling an angleof the smelt disruptor relative to the smelt flow.
 6. The method ofclaim 3, wherein controlling the actuator comprises controlling aninsertion depth of the smelt disruptor relative to the smelt flow. 7.The method of claim 3, wherein the shattering fluid is steam or air. 8.The method of claim 1 further comprising sending a sensor input signalto the optical sensor to adjust a sensitivity to the process condition.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical sensor is a cameraconfigured to capture an image or a video of the smelt as it leaves thesmelt spout.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein shattering the smeltbeing conveyed into the dissolving tank comprises shattering the smeltinto a pattern of smelt droplets, and capturing, by the camera, an imageor a video of the pattern of smelt droplets.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the smelt droplets are of a size determined to reduce acousticemissions produced by contact of the smelt droplets with liquid in thedissolving tank.
 12. A recovery boiler comprising: a dissolving tank; aspout adjacent to the dissolving tank, wherein the spout is configuredto convey a volume of smelt into the dissolving tank; a smelt disruptorconfigured to disrupt the volume of smelt flowing from the spout intothe dissolving tank; an optical sensor configured to record process datafrom the recovery boiler; and a control system configured to receive asensor output signal from the optical sensor, wherein the optical sensoroutput signal indicates the process data, wherein the control system isfurther configured to analyze the optical sensor output signal todetermine a smelt flow position for the process condition and send adisruptor input signal to the smelt disruptor to adjust a disruptoroperating condition according to the optical sensor output signal, andwherein the disruptor operating condition is adjusted to shatter thesmelt being conveyed into the dissolving tank.
 13. The recovery boilerof claim 12 further comprising an actuator operatively engaged to thesmelt disruptor, wherein the actuator is configured to adjust a positionof the smelt disruptor in response to a disruptor input signal.
 14. Therecovery boiler of claim 13, wherein the position of the smelt disruptorcomprises an insertion depth.
 15. The recovery boiler of claim 13wherein the position of the smelt disruptor comprises an angle of thesmelt disruptor.
 16. The recovery boiler of claim 13, wherein thedisruptor operating condition is adjusted to shatter the smelt beingconveyed into the dissolving tank by controlling a flow of a shatteringfluid from the smelt disruptor.
 17. The recovery boiler of claim 16,wherein the shattering fluid is steam or air.
 18. The recovery boiler ofclaim 12 further comprising an actuator operatively engaged to the smeltdisruptor, wherein the actuator is configured to adjust a position ofthe smelt disruptor in response to an operator input.
 19. The recoveryboiler of claim 12 wherein a rate of smelt flow from the spout ismeasured by the optical sensor, and wherein a position of the smeltdisruptor is adjusted based on the rate of smelt flow.
 20. The recoveryboiler of claim 12, wherein the optical sensor is configured to capturean image or video of the smelt as it leaves the smelt spout.
 21. Therecovery boiler of claim 20, wherein the optical sensor is a camera. 22.The recovery boiler of claim 21, wherein the smelt disruptor isconfigured to shatter the smelt being conveyed into the dissolving tankinto a pattern of smelt droplets, and wherein the camera is configuredto capture an image or video of the pattern of smelt droplets.
 23. Therecovery boiler of claim 22, wherein the smelt droplets are of a sizedetermined to reduce acoustic emissions produced by contact of the smeltdroplets with liquid in the dissolving tank.
 24. A smelt disruptoradjustment system comprising: a disruptor assembly configured to shattersmelt flowing from a smelt spout into a pattern of smelt droplets,wherein the disruptor assembly comprises an actuator operatively engagedto a smelt disruptor; an optical sensor configured to record processdata from a recovery boiler; and a control system configured to receivea sensor output signal from the optical sensor, wherein the controlsystem is further configured to analyze the sensor output signal todetermine a smelt flow position for the process condition and send adisruptor input signal to the smelt disruptor assembly to adjust adisruptor operating condition, wherein the disruptor operating conditionis adjusted to shatter the smelt being conveyed into a dissolving tank,wherein the optical sensor is a camera, wherein the optical sensoroutput signal is an image or a video of the pattern of smelt dropletscaptured by the camera.
 25. The smelt disruptor adjustment system ofclaim 24, wherein the disruptor operating condition is adjusted toshatter the smelt being conveyed into the dissolving tank by controllinga flow of a shattering fluid from the smelt disruptor.
 26. The smeltdisruptor adjustment system of claim 25, wherein the shattering fluid issteam or air.
 27. The smelt disruptor adjustment system of claim 24,further comprising an actuator operatively engaged to the smeltdisruptor, wherein the actuator is configured to adjust a position ofthe smelt disruptor in response to a disruptor input signal.
 28. Thesmelt disruptor adjustment system of claim 27, wherein the position ofthe smelt disruptor comprises an insertion depth.
 29. The smeltdisruptor adjustment system of claim 27, wherein the position of thesmelt disruptor comprises an angle of the smelt disruptor.
 30. The smeltdisruptor adjustment system of claim 24 further comprising an actuatoroperatively engaged to the smelt disruptor, wherein the actuator isconfigured to adjust a position of the smelt disruptor in response to anoperator input.
 31. The smelt disruptor adjustment system of claim 24,wherein the smelt droplets are of a size determined to reduce acousticemissions produced by contact of the smelt droplets with liquid in thedissolving tank.